Libera!

Libera! is a Spanish non-profit animal rights organization. Among other actions, they carry out education and public-awareness campaigns.[1][2] Libera! was founded in 2004 in Barcelona. The group's initial actions focused on Catalonia, but the group gradually transformed into a national organisation.

For the Belgian liberal think tank, see Nova Civitas.
Libera!
Founded2004
FocusAnimal rights
Location
Area served
Spain
MethodEducation, demonstrations, protest actions and complaints.
Key people
Nieves Camarero, president
Rubén Pérez, spokesperson
Websitewww.liberaong.org
Libera! activists in a demonstration against hunting. Barcelona

One of their campaigns that have reached international media is the campaign Libera a Susi (Spanish: "Free Susi").[3][4][5][6][7] This campaign aims to free the only elephant at the Barcelona Zoo, an African elephant named Susi, who according to Libera! and the British organisation Born Free Foundation suffers from severe psychological problems [8] resulting from loneliness. Libera! aims to move Susi to an elephant sanctuary, where she could live in better and freer conditions and in the company of other elephants.

This campaign has received support from the world of culture; José Saramago (a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature),[9][10] Queen Sofía,[11] and personalities in the Barcelona municipal politics, such as Imma Mayol,[12] have endorsed the campaign.[13][14][15] Libera! conducted this campaign with the support of the Fundación Faada and the Born Free Foundation.[16]

Libera!, together with Fundación FAADA, formed the Plataforma Rambles Ètiques,[17] which campaigns to ensure that, in compliance with the Animal Protection Act 22/2003 and the Ordinance on the Protection of Animals, the Barcelona City Council stops selling animals in the traditional bird shops of La Rambla. In media campaigns, the Plataforma Rambles Ètiques denounced both the conditions in which the birds live and the practice of throwing away the bodies of the animals that die (though the practice is not legally allowed to threaten public health). As the campaign has pointed out, the shopkeepers have also thrown living animals in the trash.[18][19]

Along with the Platform SOS Stop Our Shame and CAS International, Libera! is a coordinator of the Plataforma Galicia Mellor Sen Touradas,[20][21] which aims to abolish bull fighting in Galicia.[22] This campaign has the support of environmental Galician organizations including ADEGA and Matar por matar non.

In March 2009, Libera! brought a lawsuit against the former Minister Mariano Fernández Bermejo for the crime of poaching without license. Bermejo poached without license in February of that year with the judge of the Audiencia Nacional, Baltasar Garzón,[23] when Bermejo was still Minister of Justice.

See also

References
  1. La Mirada Ética Archived 2011-01-11 at the Wayback Machine Libera! (in Spanish)
  2. Asociaciones de defensa de los animales protestan por la matanza de focas en Canadá 13/05/09 20 minutos (in Spanish)
  3. El zoo de Barcelona se degrada Archived 2009-05-07 at the Wayback Machine 06/06/2008. La Vanguardia (in Spanish)
  4. Susi, la elefanta del Zoo de Barcelona sufre depresión debido a que no tiene compañía 04/03/09 20 minutos (in Spanish)
  5. Lonely elephant 'could die of sadness' 06/02/2009. The Daily Telegraph (in English)
  6. Aidez Susi, l'éléphant dépressif February 6, 2009 La Presse (in French)
  7. La regina in campo per l'elefantessa triste May 15, 2009 Corriere della Sera (in Italian)
  8. 'Quitamos el Parlament o no caben más elefantes' 18/02/2009 El Mundo (in Spanish)
  9. Saramago se une a la campaña para liberar a Susi, la elefanta enferma del zoo Archived 2009-05-27 at the Wayback Machine 19/02/2009 ADN (in Spanish)
  10. Susi Archived 2009-02-27 at the Wayback Machine Blog de José Saramago (in Spanish)
  11. La Reina intercede por la elefanta 'Susi' 13/05/2009 El País (in Spanish)
  12. Mayol aboga por que la elefanta 'Susi' deje el zoo 18/03/2009 El País (in Spanish)
  13. Salvemos a 'Susi', per Pilar Rahola 15/02/2009. La Vanguardia (in Spanish)
  14. Un eurodiputado de ICV lleva a Bruselas la situación de la elefanta 'Susi' 28/02/2009. El Mundo (in Spanish)
  15. Un eurodiputado lleva hasta Bruselas el caso de la elefanta Susi del Zoo de BCN 27/2/2009 El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish)
  16. [tt_news]=302 Archived 2014-01-06 at the Wayback Machine Free Susi 12/02/2009. Born Free Foundation
  17. Rambles Etiques - Contacte Archived 2009-05-02 at the Wayback Machine (in Catalan)
  18. Una plataforma denuncia que els ocellaires de la Rambla tiren animals a les escombraries 26/04/2009 El Periódico de Catalunya (in Catalan)
  19. Els ocellaires de la Rambla llancen animals a les escombraries 26/04/2009 Diari de Tarragona (in Catalan)
  20. Galicia Mellor Sen Touradas (in Spanish)
  21. "Las corridas estivales avivan las protestas del movimiento antitaurino en Pontevedra" (in Spanish). Farodevigo.es. 2009-08-06.
  22. Parte de nuestros impuestos se dedican a financiar estas prácticas. Cada gallego aporta 42 euros al año a la tauromaquia Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine 21/07/2008. El Progreso (in Spanish)
  23. Presentan ante el Tribunal Supremo una querella penal contra Bermejo por furtivo 13/05/09 20 minutos (in Spanish)
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